The children who found a new home in Glossop

Within hours of the start of the Second World War, four trains packed with children were starting to steam into Glossop and Broadbottom stations to escape the bombs our government knew would rain down on their homes.

In the first week of September 1939 the Glossop Chronicle was featuring this picture of young evacuees arriving at Glossop station to escape the horror that lay ahead.

A few miles away, a similar scene was happening at Broadbottom.

Meeting the trains at Glossop were a medical officer of health, a billeting officer and volunteers, all to look after the evacuee children who would be taken to their temporary homes with families who would take care of them away from the bombs. 

They were ferried to their new homes by a fleet of coaches from Glossop Carriage Company and North Western Road Car Company.

The Chronicle did not reveal where the children were from or how many arrived, but they were most likely from Manchester, some accompanied by their mothers and schoolteachers.

It’s likely that the youngest children had no idea how long they would be here, perhaps thinking they were on a day trip, never expecting their stay could be months or even years.

Their suitcases contained clothes, comics, photographs of parents and grandparents,  maybe a few favourite toys.

Fast forward a few months to December 1939 and the war meant 200 evacuees from Gorton and Openshaw could not celebrate Christmas at home as Manchester and its suburbs were at risk from German bombers.

Instead, they spent their school holidays with families in Glossopdale who took them into their homes and their hearts and enjoyed a Christmas party just for them at Glossop Co-operative Cafe.

They played games, sang carols, were entertained by a ventriloquist and best of all, sat down to a tea of sandwiches, mince pies, jelly and cream and cakes, which in those days were called fancies.

It wasn’t quite like home, but maybe it was the next best thing.

Our photograph above shows some of the children and the people who made sure they had a good time.

Three years later, 600 young evacuees would arrive by train from Lowestoft, the port town on the east coast that was being constantly shelled.